Record number waiting for Welsh NHS treatment

MORE than half a million people are waiting for NHS treatment in Wales, according to new figures.

The record high numbers show that, of the 530,371 people on the waiting list, nearly half – 231,722 (44%) – have been waiting more than 36 weeks for their treatment to start.

In March last year, just 28,294 people had been waiting more than 36 weeks – the Welsh Government target for treatment to start.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the initial cancellation of non-urgent treatments has seen the waiting list grow by 73,562 since then.

The Welsh Government said NHS services remain under “intense and sustained pressure” from a combination of normal winter pressures and the coronavirus pandemic.

“The number of people needing treatment for coronavirus is having a major impact on delivering NHS services, affecting waiting times,” a spokeswoman said.

“The NHS is not immune to the effects of coronavirus itself – there are high levels of staff absences as people fall ill with the virus or have to self-isolate.

“We have made an extra £30m available this year to support urgent and emergency care services and increase resilience over the remainder of this financial year.”

Conservative health spokesman Andrew RT Davies branded the figures “appalling”.

“Regrettably, waiting list targets were being missed before the pandemic started, with the Welsh Labour-led Government consistently letting down patients,” he said.

Richard Johnson, from the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “These figures are just devastating. A staggering number of patients – almost a quarter of a million – are now waiting more than 36 weeks to start treatment in Wales.

“We are calling on the Welsh Government to urgently implement a clear strategy to eliminate the backlog, supported by sustained investment.”